After a shakedown cruise in June and July to Puerto Rico and back, the new brig sailed out of New York harbor on 13 September1842 bound for the Atlantic coast of Africa with dispatches for frigateVandalia[?]. On this voyage, Somers was acting as an experimental schoolship for naval apprentices.

An investigation by the officers of the ship over the next few days indicated that these men were plotting to take over the ship, throw the officers and loyal members of the crew to the sharks, and then to use Somers for piracy. On 1 December, the officers reported that they had "come to a cool, decided, and unanimous opinion" that the prisoners were "guilty of a full and determined intention to commit a mutiny;" and they recommended that the three be put to death. The plotters were promptly hanged.

On 20 March1843, Lt. John West assumed command of Somers, and the brig was assigned to the Home Squadron. For the next few years, she served along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies.

Somers was in the Gulf of Mexico off Vera Cruz at the opening of the Mexican War in the spring of 1846; and, but for runs to Pensacola, Florida, for logistics, she remained in that area on blockade duty until winter. On the evening of 26 November, the brig, commanded by Rahael Semmes (later commanding officer of CSS Alabama[?]), was blockading Vera Cruz when Mexican schooner Criolla[?] slipped into that port. Somers launched a boat party which boarded and captured the schooner. However, a calm prevented the Americans from getting their prize out to sea so they set fire to the vessel and returned through gunfire from the shore to Somers, bringing back seven prisoners. Unfortunately, Criolla proved to be an American spy ship operating for Commodore Conner.

On 8 December, while chasing a blockade runner off Vera Cruz, Somers capsized and foundered in a sudden squall. Thirty-two members of her crew drowned and seven were captured. In recent years, her wreck has been discovered and explored by divers.

The third USS Somers was US Torpedo Boat 22, built in Germany in 1895 and purchased during the War of 1898. Her service until 1919 was principally with the Maryland and Illinois Naval Militias and on coastal patrol during World War I.

The fifth USS Somers (DD-381) was the lead ship of the Somers-class destroyers[?]. She was built at Federal, Kearny and commissioned 1 December1937. Though active for only eight years she acquired an enviable record. In 1938 she transported a consignment of gold from the Bank of England to New York. On 6 November1941, she and the cruiserUSS Omaha[?] captured the German freighter Odenwald which was carrying 3800 tons of scarce rubber while disguised as the American merchantman Willmoto. Somers also accounted for two other blockade runners, Anneliese Essberger and Westerland.

Somer next participated in the Normandy and Southern France invasions providing naval gunfire support as well as serving in the anti-submarine screen. On 15 August1944, four hours before H-Hour, D-Day, along the French Riviera, Somers encountered and sank the German corvettesComascio and Escabort. Following this action, she moved inshore to give gunfire support to the invasion. For two days she bombarded enemy strongpoints off the coast near Toulon with 5-inch shells and then exchanged fire with enemy shore batteries east of Marsailles[?]. Although Somers sustained many hits during this action, she emerged the victor.

On 21 July1998, two B-52s from the 20th Bomb Squadron fired missiles at Somers as part of the Rim of the Pacific 1998 exercise.
Each B-52 crew launched one AGM-142 Have Nap[?] missile that struck its target set adrift about 30 miles northwest of Kauai. On 22 July1998, she sunk in 2800 fathoms.